[73] Loki's Money (Patreon)

(Riven POV – Hearth of Threads)

'It's almost closing time.' I note, strolling up to our shop and pushing the door open.

For once, Hestia isn't slumped over the counter looking bored out of her mind.

"Oh, this one. This one would look wonderful on you." Her voice comes from the other end of the shop, and I find her deep in conversation with a young woman, holding a dress up against her shoulders. "And don't you worry about the quality. You won't find better anywhere in Orario. Riven makes them himself, and he's the finest there is."

She says it with such immense pride that I have to physically restrain myself from wincing.

'…Does she give this speech to everyone who walks in?' I think in growing concern.

The customer hesitates, clearly unconvinced. Hestia's eyes narrow, but she doesn't seem worried whatsoever. She reaches into her pocket and produces a picture… of my face?

'Oh no…' I think. 'Is that why she badgered me into making one for her?'

She had said it was so she could look at it when she misses me. Worse yet, the customer's resistance evaporates on the spot. The dress is purchased within seconds. And then, to my mounting horror, I hear the woman ask, with genuine hope in her voice, whether the shop happens to sell such pictures.

"Not at the moment." Hestia says brightly. "But we might soon!"

I stand in the doorway with a completely flat expression, having initially decided not to interrupt her work. A decision I now deeply regret.

At that moment, she turns and spots me, her entire face lighting up instantly.

"Riven!" She abandons counting the Valis and barrels into me, arms locking around my torso. "Quick, quick, make more of those pictures! We're going to be rich! You wouldn't believe how many people have asked for them!" She's vibrating with excitement and impatience, her eyes sparkling.

'That's the first thing you have to say to me?' I look down at her, and seriously consider taking hold of her cheeks, and pulling until she learns some kind of lesson. But…

'She's far too excited about this…' The urge to do so is defeated by her cute enthusiasm. 'I really am hopeless against her.'

With GS's help, I make a few more copies.

"You're the best." Hestia giggles, squeezing me tight before whirling away to press one into the waiting customer's hands. Valis changes hands, and the woman practically flees, clutching the image to her chest like a holy relic.

I walk over to the counter, where my goddess is already gleefully counting the profit.

"I understand why you did it." I begin, still a bit speechless. "But… doesn't this worry you at all? You're actively manufacturing competition for yourself."

If there's one thing I know about Hestia, it's that she's extremely possessive. Even if it's for money, mass-producing my face for half the women in Orario should be the last thing she'd ever agree to.

"Huh?" She glances up, brow furrowed in honest confusion. "Why would I be worried about that?"

Then a smirk spreads slowly across her face. It's smug, but I find it beautiful.

"You're already mine. So what if everyone else gets a few pictures? It'll never compare to the real thing." She goes back to her counting. "I know you'd never cheat on me, so I have no reason to worry."

She says it with such confidence that it may as well be a fact. And more annoyingly… she isn't wrong.

'Still… it's really annoying how smug she's being.' I groan internally, and reach over to pinch her cheek after all.

"Owwww—! What was that for?!" She yells, looking at me with discontent and teary eyes.

"I just felt like it." I say calmly, which predictably, causes her to explode.

"I'll get you back!" She hisses, launching herself upward, reaching for my face… so I simply catch her by the collar and hold her out at arm's length, where she hangs, flailing and unable to reach anything.

"Riven… let… me… go!" She kicks and twists, trying her best to reach me… but it's pointless.

"You'll attack me the second I do." I say, wearing a smug little smile of my own.

"You deserve it!" She growls, arms still windmilling toward my face.

"Maybe… but if you do that, I won't be able to tell you all about Loki's many misfortunes today." I say, my smirk widening. "I very nearly made her cry, you know. Though if you'd rather chase me around the shop instead, who am I to stop you? But I doubt you'll catch me."

She stops instantly, and I can almost see all the calculations going on inside her head, as she weighs revenge against gossip.

"…Can I hear about Loki after pinching you back?" She tries, angling for a compromise. "Just the one cheek. That's fair." Her expression shifts as she gives me puppy eyes. "Please…?"

"What do you think?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Hmph. Fine." She folds her arms, puffing her cheeks out in defeat. "But it had better be worth it."

"Don't sulk, Goddess. This will make your entire day." I say, pulling her close, hugging her, and then scoop her up, one arm beneath her knees, the other at her back, and carry her over to the counter, settling into the chair with her deposited squarely in my lap.

And as expected of Hestia, there isn't a trace of embarrassment on her face. Instead, she tries, and fails, to hide a pleased little smile as her legs kick cheerfully back and forth.

"So, when I went there this morning…" I begin telling her everything that happened. Every way I "joked around" with Loki. The wine, the choking, the flat-chest remark… especially tossing the bottle and having her dive after it. I tell her everything right up to the part where the Goddess of Trickery ended up flat on her own carpet, staring at the ceiling, questioning what she'd done to deserve the suffering she experienced.

Hestia is delighted. She laughs so hard she nearly slides off my lap, and demands I repeat the stories.

And finally, at the end, she suddenly freezes. Her laughter fades, and her expression drains in some slow realisation. She swallows hard before tilting her head back to look up at me nervously.

"…Riven." Her hands fidget together in her lap. "You'd never do anything like that to me… right?" She laughs, trying to hide her nervousness.

I'm a bit surprised by her thinking, never having considered it. But since she brought it up…

"I don't know~" I say sweetly.

"Riven!"

"I'd have no reason to." I continue magnanimously. "But I suppose if I ever did decide to, I'd probably start by giving you a huge gift. Something I know you'd like very much… like Valis." I shrug. "So unless something like that happens, you've nothing to worry about."

The relief is visible throughout her entire body. Her shoulders drop, her head thunks back against my chest, and she exhales like she's just been pardoned.

"I'd have preferred a straight 'never,' but I suppose that's good eno—"

"Oh, by the way, Goddess." I interrupt, dropping a huge pouch onto her lap. It's enormous, bulging at the seams, though mercifully light for its size, given it only contains the largest denominations of Valis available.

"I happened to earn a little Valis today." I lean down, my arms sliding around her waist and locking there, leaving her nowhere at all to go. "One hundred million, in fact. Are you happy?"

Silence. I don't even hear her breathe for a moment. Beneath my arms, I feel her heart go from a steady beat to an outright sprint.

"And I've got something I'd like to tell you, Goddess." I murmur, right beside her ear.

She shivers so violently the pouch nearly slides off her knees.

"R-Riven—" Her voice comes out in pieces. "L-let's talk about this. We can talk about this, right? Whatever it is, I'm sure we can—"

And that's where I stop, because as entertaining as this is, I've got no actual interest in frightening her.

'I'll bully her. I like teasing her, not scaring her.'

"Relax." I say, trying to soothe her. I rest my chin lightly atop her head. "I was just teasing you. I'm not going to torment you, Hestia. I love you far too much for that."

"…You're so mean." She mumbles, trying to sound unhappy. But she's turned completely red up to the tips of her ears, and is making no attempt to escape my arms.

"I only wanted to say that I earned it by agreeing to train someone." I add. "And since it's Loki's money, feel free to spend all of it."

"…Loki's money?" She repeats slowly after a small pause.

"Ours now, but I got it from the Loki Familia." I clarify.

She looks down at the pouch in her lap. Then at me. I watch as she finally realises how much money it is.

"ONE HUNDRED MILLION!" She squeaks, grabbing the pouch with both arms, hugging it to her chest with an expression of pure happiness. "Riven, do you know what this means?! We're rich!"

'Haven't we been rich for a while now?' I look at her in confusion.

"And it's Loki's!" She's practically bouncing now. "Oh, this is the best day of my entire life. I want to see her face. Can we go see her face?" She asks hopefully.

"Maybe tomorrow. I'm probably banned from the premises by now." I chuckle, and she nods.

"Tomorrow it is!" She cheers.

**************

A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all?

So, next is gonna be the final chapter before the start of canon. Looking back, it's been a long while, but the plot speeds up then😭. A little Hestia/Riven cuteness, and then the timeskip coming up.

I always find Hestia adorable, and it's funny the way she thinks (to me at least). But yeah, not much to say this chapter, so hopefully you all enjoyed it, and have a wonderful rest of your day/night😁